The Robbin’ Robins

Andy Munro watches Blues lose at home to Bristol City.


It was always going to be difficult in windy conditions overlaid by torrential rain and it was obvious the way Bristol City set out their stall that we were in for a turgid time.

With Bristol fielding five in midfield and only one up top, Blues struggled in the first half hour and it was the visitors who came closest to scoring, when Jutkiewicz spectacularly cleared off the line.

However, in the second half we started to create chances and had two strong penalty shouts with one looking ‘nailed on’. The referee was unfortunately as unimpressed as he was unimpressive. We also conceded a poor goal at the near post from a set piece but had no luck from our own as Jutkiewicz hit the inside of the post with a header with the keeper beaten. Roberts came on for an injured Morrison and maybe his long throw should have been utilised a bit more.

Blues could have also done with Jota to open up the opposition but apparently Gary Monk wanted to give him a bit more time to get over his injury with so many games coming up… which is a darn sight better than the rumours that he wasn’t in the squad because he was being lined up for a January transfer.

This was a match we deserved to win but losing our unbeaten home record is perhaps, in a perverse way, a monkey off our back. If I have a slight complaint there is a criticism that Blues haven’t got a Plan B and maybe a full back could have been pushed into midfield with the Robins only fielding one striker. This would have allowed either Maghoma or Mahoney to move to a more central role just behind our two main strikers.

Still this Blues team have bouncebackability, to use a Dowieism, so they hopefully will do just that.